Cerenia for Cats

What is Cerenia?

Cerenia is an FDA approved medication that is administered by Zoetis Services LLC. Available in different labels with various marketing authorization in different countries, the Zoetis Services LLC medication is incredible for assisting with vomiting in dogs and cats. As a maropitant oxide, there is something inside of Cerenia called substance P, which is a neuropeptide that plays a key role in the body's ability to perceive and feel pain.

With maropitants drugs, receptors in the vomiting center inside of your pet's brain. It's at this point where the brain senses toxins called uremic toxins which also triggers GI tract receptors. That's why vomiting in dogs and feline friends happens. The chemoreceptor trigger zone, the receptor antagonist, and substance P are also involved.

Cerenia works similarly to the TUMs, Kaopectate, or Pepto-Bismol that you might take for tummy issues of your own. However, Cerenia is actually designed specifically for cats and especially for situations in which they are experiencing nausea and vomiting. Cerenia is an antiemetic, meaning its sole purpose is to stop nausea in its tracks and prevent cats from throwing up as a result of their nausea. Cerenia can also be administered prior to throwing up as a preventive measure with motion sickness.

Motion Sickness in Dogs and Cats + Nausea: What are the Causes of Acute Vomiting for Cats

Whether a kitten accidentally licks up and swallows a piece of cat litter, or your furry friend bites off a small piece of your faux decorative tree, dogs get themselves into all sorts of mischief with unique characteristics, too. Have you ever seen a picture of a cat and a ball of yarn? You probably have, since cats are infamous for the way they play with string.

If you don’t watch them carefully enough, cats will chew on wires, eat cords, and ingest all sorts of items they have no business ingesting. Vomiting can also be the outcome of a very large hairball caught in their throats, which leads to a lot of coughing and gagging until they can get the hairball loose and out of their airways.

However, vomiting is not just a symptom of dogs and their ever-present curiosity or their knack for licking themselves to the point of hairballs. Cats can come down with vomiting for many other reasons. From urinary tract diseases (UTDs) and diabetes to legitimate infections and passing viruses, cats are animals that are very prone to vomiting. One of the most common causes of vomiting in dogs and cats is motion sickness.

If you’re wondering what motion sickness is, you can think of it as that feeling you get on a very bumpy train ride or an anything-but-smooth, turbulent airplane experience. Motion sickness refers to the rocky feeling in your tummy when your environment is messing with your inner equilibrium.

Motion sickness is commonly joined by…

• More meowing and vocal than usual
• Decreased appetite
• Hiding under dressers or in corners and other hard-to-reach areas
• Acute vomiting, of course!
• Diarrhea or odd bathroom behaviors
• Drooling uncontrollably
• The inability to stay still for long, to the point of total restlessness
• Stress and anxiety about certain situations

Some clinical signs and risk factors of vomiting in pets include...

• Allergic reactions
• Chronic kidney disease
• Being an elderly cat
• Motion sickness in dogs
• Weak central nervous system
• Skin sensitization
• Repeated or prolonged exposure to bacteria
• Liver disease
• Injection prescription
• Ingested toxins

Motion sickness is no fun. Not for dogs. Not for humans. Not for anyone or anything. Though the term implies that cats must be moving at a fast pace to get to a place of full-on nausea, this isn’t the reality of the situation. Honestly, nausea due to motion sickness can occur when a cat is simply being carried in his or her cat carrier from one place to the next. It is less about the pace and more about the fact that the cat is being relocated.

Thankfully, something called Cerenia exists to help you and your cat handle situations where your little buddy is vomiting.

When to Use Cerenia for Cats

Cerenia should be used as the prevention of vomiting due to motion symptoms of nausea due to motion sickness. There are parameters that you should follow in terms of the doses of Cerenia and how often you should give them the medication for their vomiting. Cerenia is a medication that you must only use in a specific, appropriate situations with close attention to prescribing information.

According to the drug’s official website, Cerenia is an effective solution for vomiting, and it happens to also be the only FDA-approved treatment for vomiting in dogs. Sometimes, vomiting is the problem in and of itself, and in these cases, the vomiting can be treated with Cerenia. In other cases, vomiting due to motion is merely a symptom of something more. But Cerenia can still help with the situation by ceasing the vomiting in cats and allowing the vet to determine what’s lying underneath the surface.

Are There Side Effects of Cerenia for Cats?

Pet owners need to understand the most common side effects of Cerenia. The way medications like Cerenia work are important to know, as the prevention of acute vomiting can be a tricky process to master. Cerenia is FDA approved, which is a good start. However, being FDA approved is not enough.

Many FDA approved medications still cause unfortunate side effects for pets needing something to treat nausea. Some warnings are attached to Cerenia, and you should be aware of them if you administer Cerenia to your cat. Even when you follow the appropriate dose as it relates to your cat, Cerenia can cause other side effects.

Keep an eye out for the following situations seeing as they are directly related to Cerenia for dogs:

• Low energy
• Sudden diarrhea
• Excessive dehydration
• Vomiting that won’t let up
• Unexplainable weight loss
• Little to no interest in food

Furthermore, the side effects of Cerenia for cats can also include a dull pain in the location of the Cerenia injectable. This is, of course, only applicable or possible if your cat receives Cerenia by way of the injectable form at the animal healthcare professional office.

As we will discuss in greater detail later on, the use of CBD oils for cats in this area can really help soothe the sting and make the experience less daunting for your kitty buddy. Simply rubbing a small dose of CBD oil near, but not directly on, the injection site will bring some relief to your cat and provide a decent amount of numbing to soothe your cat’s discomfort.

Cerenia vs Generic Brand Medications

When considering whether to give feline patients Cerenia vs generic brand medications, it's important to have a conversation with your pet's vet. The animal healthcare professional will look at your cat's personal information and make a recommendation based on the underlying cause of your pet's situation. A veterinary professional knows best, so we advise that you take their advice.

There are unique characteristics to cats Cerenia and generic brand medications of the same nature. Even though the product labeling is different and there might be slight differences, Cerenia works similarly to other meds. There is an injection prescription required to receive a Cerenia injectable, but before you can purchase a Cerenia injectable for your pet, your animal healthcare professional needs to understand your pet and know everything about their veterinary patient.

Additionally, it's important to tell your vet about any other medications that your pet takes. Drug interactions between Cerenia and other medications can be fatal, so be open and honest about all of the animal health information contained in your cat's veterinary patient portfolio.

Once the animal health information contained in the conversation is compiled and understood, your vet can replace discussions and educational purposes with the products discussed. But don't worry. Your pet's animal health information cannot be shared with anyone else in accordance with confidentiality disclosures. Pets of any life stage can take Cerenia as long as it suits their needs.

How to Give Your Cat Cerenia: Different Methods of Administering Medicine

Also known as maropitant citrate, Cerenia can be administered to cats in two different ways. There is an injectable solution or a tablet form of Cerenia. For a look at maropitant citrate available dosages, consult your vet for educational purposes and ask about the products discussed at your pet's appointment. Replace discussions about a related company in different countries and focus on how to prevent vomiting.

If you are more comfortable having a professional give Cerenia to your cat, you can schedule an appointment for your cat to receive a shot of Cerenia at the veterinarian’s office. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with giving Cerenia to your cat, you can do so from the comfort of your home.

But don’t worry! You don’t have to become an expert on how to give your cat a shot in order to go with the at-home option. If you opt in to this method, you will receive a prescription for pills that you can give to your cat. Not to worry. No needles involved! These Cerenia tablets for cats are easy to administer.

Like any pills designed and intended for cats, giving pills to your furry feline friend can sometimes pose a bit of a challenge. Cats are very set in their ways and this stubbornness presents itself like nobody’s business when it comes time to give Cerenia tablets to cats. But not to fret! While it can be difficult, it’s not impossible.

There are two main ways to give Cerenia maropitant citrate tablets to cats. You can either purchase a device that is understandably called a pill-giver. Essentially, this tool makes it easier for you to drop the tablet at the very back of your cat’s throat and it ensures that your cat will swallow the pill. The other way of administering the Cerenia tablets for cats is with your fingers, though this can sometimes be a bit of a problematic approach.

It is also important to note that Cerenia is best received when taken with food. Ironically enough, administering Cerenia to your cat on an empty stomach can cause more nausea than it will resolve! Avoid the possibility of making the motion sickness cat symptoms worse by always pairing Cerenia with a light snack.

Some things to be aware of before administering Cerenia include:

• Localized allergic skin reactions
• Gastrointestinal obstruction
• Hepatic dysfunction
• Other meds that prevent vomiting
• Topical exposure
• Vomiting in cats
• Infectious diseases

What You Need to Know About Our CBD Oil for Cats with Vomiting Due to Motion

Vomiting is a serious ailment that can be indicative of an array of different problems that might require immediate attention. That’s why it can be deceptive to prevent vomiting and cause so much uncertainty for cat owners. But then again, these instances are less common. More often than not, vomiting is simply due to motion sickness. When cats face motion sickness, their tummies get queasy and their bodies start to imitate symptoms of the ever-so-dreaded stomach flu.

Even though the symptoms sound terrifying, and watching your little kitty cat endure the misery that comes with nausea is heartbreaking, try not to let yourself lose hope. Your cat will get through this unfortunate circumstance soon enough and all will be well again. In the meantime, keep looking on the bright side of things and focus on the positive outcome.

If you find that Cerenia is either hard for your cat’s body to handle or the medication is not as effective as you think it should be, then you should consider giving CBD oil a try. CBD oil has a bit of a negative connotation surrounding it, but truly, once you start to learn exactly what CBD is and how it benefits animals in pain, then you’ll realize that the stigmatization of CBD is unnecessary. Cannabidiol is a miracle worker. Just ask your cat! What nausea?!

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